In Chaos and Darkness
by millennium rod
Summary: An AU where the heroes aren't triumphant over evil, darkness overtakes light, and happy endings are an uncertainty.
1. Chapter 1

From the beginning of time, constant change has existed. Minute to minute, day to day, season to season, things that seem to remain the same are in a state of gradual shifting towards a new future. Bad things can be endured, simply because we can be assured that one day, there is a chance that they will become good. Even in the darkest night, stars shine through the expanse of complete darkness, reminding the world that light and good are a matter of hours away. The nocturnal monsters that lurk in wait will eventually creep back into hibernation, and we will be able to live, to _thrive,_ for another few hours, until the cycle begins anew. This is how things have always been, and how they should remain.

But what about the cycle of change? If bad and scary things can morph into rays of hope and light, then don't there need to be good things that make the same transformation? Balance, like change, is a necessary function of the world, after all. Everything is give and take, and in a world where many have only been taking for millennia, with no sacrifices to be spoken of, it is only a matter of time before everything is thrown into chaos.

Or at least, it _was _only a matter of time.

Certain forces in this world have, from the very beginning, been destined to be at war with each other. Life and death, light and dark, want and necessity- all of these have, for millennia, set aside their differences and compromised, allowing the other to live in peace. The story of good and evil is a classic one, which can be found in even the simplest of children's books. We are taught from a young age that as long as we remain good, and do not cross over to a side which could be considered evil, we will triumph over anything- or anyone- who threatens to disrupt the peacefulness of the Earth.

However, what _is _good? How is it any different from evil? If those who commit crimes which could be construed as evil truly believe that they are in the right, then where is the line between the two drawn? Does "good" truly belong to those who remain innocent? Or are such things decided by those who hold the most power?

I once believed that I knew the difference between these two extremes. And in a way, I suppose I still do. Light, since the beginning of time, has been associated with all that is innocent and good. So, when there is an absence of light, one is led to assume that fear is the correct response. Children are afraid of the dark, rather than the light- but why? Is it the factor of the unknown, of what cannot be seen? Or is it the knowledge of what little _can _be seen, and the question that follows- what could those shapes really be?

If it is the unknown which scares us as humans, then perhaps that explains why we dislike anything that is not good. Good is order, predictability, and stability. It is what we, as human beings, strive for in life. It can be assumed by most that if you crave anything different, you do not fit the mold. You are no longer human, you are a monster.

But in this world, where chaos is order, the unknown is predictable, and happiness is uncertain, is this still the case? Or is it the reverse situation, in which the one which creates the "norm" is the monster? After all, don't "desperate times call for desperate measures?" Ones which could alter the unity and well-being of the universe?

Of course, in order to alter something, that thing must first exist. And in this world of chaos, darkness, and ruin, even such a basic concept such as "peace" is nothing more than a fairytale.

Now, there is no battle between good and evil. It is a widely accepted fact that evil overtakes all, and the heroes will always meet a tragic end. Because evil has become good, and good has disappeared completely. Hope has been lost, and despair prevails. The hero doesn't find the princess in time, because the dragon has slain them both. It's not an ending to be feared.

It is simply reality.

Xxx

My room is cold. And dark, it's always dark- besides a few haphazardly-placed candles to make the room and what lay within it visible, all that surrounded me was shadows. Darkness is what he wanted, after all. And if this is his world, then everything will be exactly as he wishes. He is king, after all. His word is superior to even those of the gods. If he wishes someone to die, they shall. If he wants someone to scream in agony, then even those with the strongest of wills will be brought to their knees.

If he requests the end of the world as we know it, then so be it. He can create a new one, after all. Whether or not it includes us is irrelevant. In fact, I am positive that, in only a matter of time, it won't. He will grow bored with us pawns. He has already won the game, after all. All that's left now is to clean up the pieces.

How many of us are left, I am not entirely certain. The only one I ever see anymore is him. I'm sure Yugi and his friends are long gone- they were a "hindrance," after all. They were the "good" that got in his way, the ones who dared to oppose him from the beginning. I have no doubt that their deaths were excruciating and drawn out, although I prefer not to think of such things.

The only other voices I hear anymore are the screams. They echo throughout the halls of… wherever this place is. I was never quite sure where he decided to take me, only that I awakened here not long after everything began. I had seen him a handful of times, and I always wondered why he had decided to keep me alive when he could have just as easily murdered me. Was this my punishment from him for trying to save him when I had the chance? Or was it a punishment from the gods themselves, for not trying hard enough?

Either way, I knew that there was a reason that I hadn't been killed yet. Death would have provided an end to this world of endless suffering, an end which I did not deserve. No, I would be trapped here for the rest of my life, which I was sure he would be more than happy to extend several years. All I could do was wait. I wasn't sure how long I had been here, or how long I _would _be here. All I knew was that these questions could only be answered by him, and that he would never tell me what those answers were. So, all I could do was wait. My death, prolonged as it may be, was still inevitable, whether I liked it or not.

Did I like it, though? Or was there still some resistance in my heart? I wasn't sure anymore. Everything was already over, after all. Everything I had been striving for had been for nothing, and he had won. This was a fact of life.

Xxx

A creaking sound from the door being pushed open was what snapped me out of my thoughts. It wasn't surprise that did it, because I knew exactly who it had to be. I only ever saw one person, after all. No, I suppose that it was instinct. He didn't like it when he wasn't properly responded to, after all, and I needed to be prepared.

The door swung slowly, and for a fleeting moment, I wondered whether there was any apprehension or care put into it. But of course, that could never be the case. What use were such emotions when you were king? I almost wished it to open faster, if only to get whatever he needed of me over with.

But it felt as though a century passed before the door was completely open, exposing the tall, dark-skinned figure that I had been expecting. A maniacal smirk remained on his face, the same one he always had. His eyes were wild, and held the expression of someone who couldn't quite be considered sane. And his hair stuck up in large spikes that pointed in all directions, the trademark feature that differentiated him from his original.

"Hello, sister," he said calmly. He was almost always calm when dealing with me, for some unexplained reason, although I was sure that this wasn't his normal disposition. "Are you doing well?" The way in which the words fell from his mouth was dripping with condescension, and the irony of his words failed to escape me. In this world, no one besides him could be considered "doing well." In another time, perhaps I would have commented on this. But that was then, and this was now, in a completely different situation.

"I'm as good as I'll ever be, I suppose," was the best response I managed to come up with. Passive-aggressiveness was about the only form of rebellion that I could still manage without being hurt, after all. However, for someone who thrived on the feeling of being aggressive, he was never very good at sensing hostility in my voice. That or he chose not to care. Either one was equally possible. "What do you want, Mariku?"

He sighed dramatically, his smile faltering. "How many times do I have to tell you, sister? I am Malik, and I will be referred to as such."

"I will _never _call you by my brother's name," I muttered. To a point, I didn't stand up to him. I simply did as he asked, responded as I thought he would want me to. But this was entirely different. If there was one thing I despised about the man in front of me, it was that he had the _nerve _to pretend to be my brother. He had claimed his name, and even his body, sure. But I would _never _accept this man in front of me as even a part of my brother. If my brother was truly dead, as this man claimed, then I would never use his name again. This imposter didn't deserve to hear it.

"Hmmm? But Ishizu, _I am your brother. _Whether you choose to accept this fact or not is your choice, but it's the truth."

"…What do you want, _Mariku."_ All I wanted was to get off of this topic, no matter what the next one may be. We could have spoken in circles for hours, but no matter how much convincing there was on his part, I refused to give in. The frown on his face was once again replaced by that common smirk.

"Why do you ask like that? This place belongs to me, doesn't it? I should be allowed to visit whenever I please. I don't need a reason."

"…I'm sorry," I said, and no matter how sincere I attempted to make it sound, I was sure that traces of sarcasm still made their way through. Once again, however, these seemed to escape him, and he continued speaking.

"_Anyways, _sister, I really don't have a reason. I just thought I would drop by, so that we could talk." I could tell right away that he was lying. Mariku had never been the type to sit around and talk about things that didn't matter. That wasn't how someone gained control of the entire world, after all- there was motivation behind every little thing he did. But the last thing I wanted was to pick a fight with him. I had seen how terrifying he could become when he was angry, after all, and I was positive that speaking back to him would result in not just my pain, but that of others as well.

"…About what, then." The least I could do was play along with his little game. As long as I remained pleasant, he remained pleasant, and nothing bad would happen to me, to him, or to anyone else.

Mariku laughed. "You always were so cold, sister. It wouldn't hurt to be a little bit more welcoming when your _dear brother _comes to visit you." He took a few strides from the doorway, until he was right in front of me. We were face to face, and I swallowed, refusing to show the fear that was building up inside of me. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"…I still won't call you brother, Mariku." It was a childish insistence, really. But it was important to me, which was why I continued to bring it up. I knew I was provoking him every time I said it, and that each time it became more likely that it would set him off.

Rather than becoming angry this time, however, Mariku stood back up and threw his head back, roaring with laughter that echoed throughout the otherwise silent room. "Sister, when are you going to realize that _I won? _The world is mine, and I can have whatever I want." He paused. "And what I want," he said, his tone suddenly much lower and icier, "is for you to accept that _I am Malik. _Whether or not you are willing to accept it doesn't matter. I am a part of him, and thanks to the idiocy of the rest of the world, I always will be."

"Well, I will _never _accept it!" My voice was raised to a much higher volume than I had meant it to be, and I immediately regretted it. Still, my mouth refused to stop moving. "You're nothing more than a demon who stole his body! You're just-" I was cut off as his hand abruptly slammed against my jaw. The hit was powerful enough that my head swerved to the side. I couldn't help but let out a sharp cry, which only made his grin wider.

"Yes, sister! Scream for me, like the rest of the world has! Don't resist me, because this is only the beginning! I am the creator of this world of darkness! I control everything, including your very life!" He stopped for a moment, and reached behind him, pulling out the millennium rod from its sheath. He held it so that the blade was inches away from my face. "You will die when I want you to die, so if you want to live, I suggest that you do as I say."

"Anything," I gasped. My cheek was throbbing, and despite my desperate wishes otherwise, I could feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "I'll do anything…" he grinned expectantly. "…But I won't… consider you my brother."

In an instant, Mariku's expression turned to one of pure rage. "You little bitch," he muttered, the hand with the rod shaking dangerously. "I-I should have killed you when I had the chance. That day, five years ago… I could have easily taken you then. But I took pity on you. I let you live, because you weren't important to me. I could have cared less about you, actually." Slowly, he lowered the millennium item away from my face and backed away, until he was out of my face and a good few feet away from me.

"In fact, you're damn lucky I decided not to kill you right now. But let's be honest- that would be boring." He chuckled, the arrogant smirk returning to his face. "After all, if you died, then who would I keep as a pet? I'm _sure _no one could take your place, _sister." _Without warning, Mariku turned around, his long dark swirling around him like the darkness itself. "So, I'll let you live another day. But I don't think I like having you mouth off to me. We'll have to work on that." And without another word, Mariku slipped out the door, slamming it behind him.

It wasn't until a few moments after he left that I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Xxx

I am honestly not sure what to do with this story right now. I think that if I really worked at it, I could make it a series. At the same time, I think it stands alone pretty well as a oneshot. So if you enjoyed this and want to see it continued, then could you review and tell me that? I'm probably going to decide whether or not to write more based off of how many people would be interested.


	2. Chapter 2

Well you guys, with a grand total of two reviews, I decided to go ahead with this. (Although more would have been nice, it's a normal amount for me, so I can't expect too much more.) This chapter is really more characterization on Ishizu's part and less plot development, mainly because the true plot of this story is still in development. All I really know is that this is gonna get pretty dark. I'm planning to have fun with Mariku's character, and how he affects Ishizu's mind as he does what he does. As for what created the world that was really only hinted at in the previous chapter, well, that's going to be explained later on, too. All I can really say is that this was meant to stick as closely to canon as possible, so keep that in mind, I suppose.

Xxx

I was surrounded by white.

It shone so brightly that I could see nothing around me at all. It was so different from what I had become accustomed to that for a fleeting moment, I wondered if I had finally given in to death. It was the only reasonable explanation, really- in Mariku's world of perfect darkness, such a place as this could never exist. He would have destroyed it, along with anything and everything else. So, where was I?

_Sister…_

I jumped slightly- at least, it felt as though I had. In this place that clearly wasn't reality, I had no way of seeing myself to know if I had a physical presence or not. But the silence had been broken by a voice. It was a boy's voice, and the tone it carried was mildly hesitant, with a hint of surprise. Something about it was familiar, but for some odd reason, it took me a moment to pinpoint its owner.

_Sister… can you hear me?_

It couldn't be. No, it had to be my mind playing tricks on me, taking advantage of my broken down state. There was no possible way that I could be hearing his voice, even in a place like this. Mariku had told me that he was dead, after all. And despite all the terrible things that had happened by his hand, he had never once told me a lie. He had no reason to.

_Please, answer me._

Thevoice steadily grew louder with each sentence, until it became far too obvious to ignore. What had started off as a soft whisper in the wind had become a plea from somewhere right in front of me. I hesitated before speaking. If this truly was an illusion formed by my own mind, and I was going insane, then the last thing I wanted was to play along. I was already a pawn in one game, and I didn't intend to become one in another. But what if this was _real?_ If I had learned one thing during my time in this world, it was that anything was possible. Spirits returned from the grave, and communicated with the people of the future they should never have seen. So really, wasn't it completely plausible for him to have returned?

There was only one way to find out, wasn't there?

"Malik?" I finally said. I could feel my voice shaking. Even though these circumstances weren't the best, it had been so long since I had heard my brother's voice that I couldn't help but tear up a bit. "Malik, is that you?"

_…You can hear me… _He sounded relieved. _Sister, I-_

"Where are you?" I asked. I was sure that I was coming off as desperate, but at that moment, it was the least of my worries. Malik was really here. I was hearing his voice for the first time in what was probably ages, and all I wanted was to see him again. Even if it was nothing more than a dream, I wanted to enjoy the moment while I still could. After all, I knew that as soon as it ended, I would be back in my cramped, dark room with Mariku. If I didn't take this small chance, I would have nothing to cling to anymore.

_…I'm not strong enough… I can't show myself. I'm sorry; all I can do is speak with you. Still, we don't have much time._

A small part of me felt the slightest bit disappointed at Malik's words. Seeing him would have made the encounter feel more real, after all. But I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind, calling them selfish- wasn't I lucky to even have this small of a chance? This _was _what I had been waiting for ever since the beginning of Mariku's reign, after all. There was so much that I wanted to say to him, so many loose ends between us that needed to be tied up.

_Ishizu… sister… I'm sorry. _I could hear the sadness behind Malik's words, as though he were about to cry. _I couldn't stop him. I wasn't strong enough. And now, he's… _All I wanted was to see my brother standing before me, so that I could embrace him, comfort him in some way- words would never be enough to reverse the damage that had been done. But all that was beyond me was an endless expanse of white.

"Please, Malik, don't do this to yourself. I don't want you to suffer, and I'm sure Rishid wouldn't either."

_Rishid is dead, isn't he, sister._ I swallowed, immediately regretting bringing up the name of our adopted brother. Despite being phrased as a question, there was absolutely no doubt or hope in Malik's voice. _I-I killed him, didn't I._

"Malik, you didn't-"

_Sister, please. Please don't lie to me anymore. I want you to tell me everything. What has he done since he took over?_

I couldn't bring myself to say a single word. No matter what came to mind, it all felt completely wrong. I didn't know why I was so desperate to keep the truth hidden away from this Malik, who may or may not have existed. Even if he did exist, lying to him and saying things were alright would do him no good. No matter what, he was gone. No amount of sugarcoating would bring him back. And besides, he deserved to know. I took a deep breath, preparing to say what could never be taken back.

"He's killed people, Malik. So many, that no one knows the exact number. The entire world is shrouded in his shadows. He created exactly the world of darkness and destruction that he always said he would, and he rules over it with an iron fist."

Now it was Malik's turn to be speechless. I was sure that if his face was visible, there would be too many emotions to name mixed into his expression. _No, _he said, his voice reduced to a mere whisper. _Sister, I never wanted this…Why did things have to end up this way…? _ I started to form a response, but I was cut off as a sudden grey cloud formed around me, swirling so fast that I felt the wind whipping through my hair. _I'm sorry… _Malik's voice was steadily growing fainter, and the sound of the wind around me as it picked up speed was almost enough to drown him out completely. Still, there was one last thing I heard him say before I started to feel a falling sensation, as though I was being dropped from wherever I was.

_Save… them…_

Xxx

My eyes opened abruptly to see nothing except for the far-too-common darkness. My body felt drenched in a cold sweat, the type that commonly accompanied a nightmare, and my breathing was heavy, as though I had been screaming. Still, for the life of me, I couldn't remember what had caused it. It had most likely been a nightmare, but what had it been about? I wracked my mind for answers, but at first, nothing came.

Unconsciously, I raised my fingers and brushed them against my cheek, only for them to come back wet. Were they tears? It was strange- how long had it been since I had cried about anything?

Slowly, I worked my body up into a sitting position, as I attempted to clear my head and find answers. My head ached a bit, but I paid it no attention. This dream felt as though it had been important, which was why I was so desperate to remember it. Still, everything was a complete blur.

_It was completely white._

That was the first thing that I recalled about my dream. The significance still escaped me, however, so I kept digging. I had the visuals solved, but that was only half of what I needed. It hadn't been a silent dream, that much I knew.

_Sister…_

My eyes, still half-lidded from sleep, shot wide open. _Malik. _He had been in my dream, hadn't he?

After that realization, everything flooded back to me at once. Malik's words, his voice… everything that had happened in what had seemed to be only a fleeting moment was coming back. And in that instant, I remembered the tears that had never disappeared, still lingering on my cheeks. I knew without a doubt that I had been crying in my sleep. I hated myself for it, but even after I gained more control over my body, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Not for the life that I was being forced to live; I had grown used to that long ago. Besides, there was no use crying over something that could never be changed.

Instead, I cried for my brother, and everything that he had lost. I briefly flashed back to that eleven year old boy, smiling as brightly as the sun he was being exposed to for the very first time. If Malik was truly… _gone,_ then he would never again feel the light brushing against his skin, as he had always dreamed. He would never experience so many of the basic things that made life worthwhile. And I didn't know what made my heart hurt more- this fact, or the fact that I was the one who failed to stop it. All I did to bring us back together as a family had been for nothing.

Yes. That was all I had wanted, wasn't it? I wanted us to be together and live a normal life, away from the darkness that had restricted us for so long. Malik, Rishid, and I, the sole survivors of the Ishtar clan, living as a normal family. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to be nothing but a faraway dream. Malik was gone- this was a fact that I had been forced to accept merely by being in his presence.

Rishid, I remembered with a shudder, was in the same situation. If he had managed to come out of his coma, then Malik would, I assumed, have returned. But that would have been nothing short of a miracle. I had been with Rishid the night that everything happened, and his motionless body was one of the last things I had seen before waking in this place. I was aware of how much Mariku wanted him dead, and I had no doubt that he had been killed on the spot after I had been knocked out. The only thing I managed to be grateful for was the small fact that I hadn't been forced to watch. If I had had to witness the most likely brutal death of another family member by his hand, I was positive that it would have driven me completely insane.

And now here I was, sobbing and breaking down for the first time in several years. And yet, the more I did it, the less terrible I felt for it. I had no one left to stay strong for, did I? All those years spent comforting Malik and telling him that things would get better were over, nothing but a distant memory. I had no one to impress, and thanks to Mariku, I never would again. So, what was the point of being strong anymore? Was pride even a factor in this new world?

I sincerely doubted it. Which was why I resigned myself to burying my head in my pillow and screaming for all that had been lost, as well as the future that would never be gained.

Xxx

Alright, guys. Now I suppose I can't hold the threat of not making this a series over your heads. Aaand I'll probably end up updating whether I get reviews or not. But still, they _are_ the nice thing to do… I had a pretty terrible day today, after all. Don't you want to make the author happy again?


	3. Chapter 3

In this place, there was so little content in each day that it was hardly worth mentioning. There was nothing to see, besides near-complete darkness. There was nothing to hear, besides Mariku's voice, my responses, and the occasional, scattered screams of the victims Mariku brought here.

But worst of all, there was nothing to do. Even when I had been younger and living in the tomb, I had been able to busy myself with something. Once mother died, I was partially responsible for retrieving various items from the surface whenever Rishid was too busy to do it. But now even that simple pleasure had been yanked away from me, and I couldn't deny that it bothered me. If I had to pinpoint the one thing that was slowly driving me insane, it probably wouldn't be Mariku or the darkness. No, I was almost certain that it was the lack of activity. Hardly a day went by where I didn't find myself pacing back and forth across the dimly lit room, just to prove that I could still move my body.

But even with these small interludes of motion, most of my time was spent sitting on the bed, knees drawn to my chest and head down as I wasted the hours thinking about and considering various things. Absolutely no topics were off limits during these stretches of time. I reminisced about childhood, considered my present, and worried over my future. It was funny, really, how- despite my desperate wishes otherwise- every single one of these involved Malik in some way. It wasn't that this fact surprised me- from the very beginning of his life, every single aspect of our family revolved around him. As soon as they realized that I wasn't the male heir they desired, they had moved on, choosing instead to obsess over the role Malik would ultimately fill. I couldn't say I envied him for it, though. He had his own problems to deal with, problems which were most likely far beyond anything I would ever experience or even consider.

Yes, compared to what he had endured, this was next to nothing. What kind of older sister would I be if I tried to claim otherwise? When Mariku left another bruise on my face, that could hardly be considered to be at the same level as the scars on Malik's back. At least my scars would ultimately fade.

At least I was still alive to feel them.

Xxx

Sometimes several days would pass between visits from Mariku. The only thing I could always count on was the slight opening of the door, which occurred what I guessed to be twice a day. This was also when I got my small amount of food for the day. When I had first arrived here, I had refused to eat anything and everything that was given to me. I don't remember why, but I think it had to do with wanting to prove something. I didn't need him, and I wasn't about to submit to what he said. I had rebelled in other ways as well, but after the effects of not eating for several days settled in, I chose starvation as the first form I would give up. I was only hurting myself, and if I wasn't getting out, then all I could really do was adapt.

But that wasn't important anymore. I had other things to focus on, things that were much more important than some small section of the recent past. For example, there was the matter of the footsteps I heard each day. When Mariku was the one approaching the door, his shoes made a loud sort of thud on the hardwood floor outside. Even the sound of his footsteps demanded attention, flaunting his power for what was left of the world to see. But every now and then, when the door was only cracked open for a brief moment, the moments leading up to it weren't filled with that intimidating sound. Rather, I could hear a softer, almost hesitant sort of step from outside my door. It was a small difference, and in the event that I was given something else to dwell on and obsess over, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. But in a world where nothing could be seen or done in order to pass the time, it was a fascinating thing, one I found myself considering more and more.

There could be someone else here. Mariku could have taken another person- possibly from the blimp, as he had with me- and locked them inside this place. But I couldn't help but have more questions from there- was this person given the privilege of walking around at will, or perhaps even given a small fraction of Mariku's power? Or- and this was the option that seemed more likely- was Mariku using them as some sort of slave, doing the menial tasks (such as delivering my meals) that he didn't want to bother with? Either way, I couldn't help but find myself to be feeling the slightest bit jealous. They were alive just as I was, and that alone was enough to make us more fortunate than others. But they could, at the very least, have something to do each day, something much more interesting than sitting in the dark and contemplating the owner of a pair of possibly-nonexistent footsteps.

Xxx

From what I could tell, there was a break of around four days between Mariku's previous visit and the next. I still got my food twice a day, but more often than not, it was the softer footsteps that I heard, and they always seemed to run away an instant after the door clicked shut. So for those few days- the longest stretch I could remember since awakening here- I was completely alone.

Despite my circumstances as a child- or perhaps because of them- I wasn't very accustomed to feelings of loneliness. As long as I could remember, I had always had either family, or- in the short time leading up to Battle City- coworkers to keep me company. Even when I had first begun my time imprisoned here, Mariku's visits had been much more frequent than they were now. And although I hated every fiber of my being for it, I almost missed seeing him every day.

No, perhaps that was the wrong way to phrase it- in no way did I miss his incessant condescension, mockery, or outright abuse. He as a person was something that I would be perfectly content to not deal with for the rest of my life. But… he was all I had anymore. He was the reason that my existence was still ongoing. He was the only living contact I had with anyone, or most likely would have with anyone ever again. And as a human being, that alone was enough to make me cling onto him. As disgusting and degrading as it was, I couldn't help but wait impatiently for him to return each day. I anxiously anticipated hearing the sound of another's voice, even when all it did was throw insults at me.

So when he was gone for days at a time, and the only thing I could hear were an increased amount of screams from before in the distance, I found myself muttering things to myself instead, simply to drown out the horrors around me.

"Come back."

"Leave them for now, and come back."

"He won't come back."

"Just like Malik."

"Malik."

_Malik._

Every now and then, I heard his voice as well. It was never anything comprehensible, or anything like the dream I had had that night. But I heard it all the time, small whispers from my disappeared brother; small sounds that I found myself clinging onto and awaiting, just as I did with Mariku's visits. They both made me want to cry, but they were my only comforts.

Malik.

And Mariku.

Xxx

His next visit happened rather abruptly. I was curled up on the bed, doing my best to drift off to sleep, when I heard the door click open. Sighing, I cracked open my eyes and forced my half-asleep body into a sitting position. I stared at Mariku, who had made his way over to the bed as I woke myself up. He stood over me, although I could only see his outline in the dark.

"It's been a while," he said. There was no real emotion to his voice for once. Not even condescension, which usually laced every single one of his words. I nodded slowly. I vaguely considered asking him where he had been, but decided against it almost straight away. Not only was there absolutely no chance of him actually telling me something like that at any time, but he also didn't seem like he was in the mood to answer any questions at all, based on the now-prominent glare he was directing right at me. So instead, I simply sat there and waited for him to start talking again. When he did, however, his words managed to catch me slightly off my guard.

"Sister, do you have any idea why I decided to keep you alive?" I wondered if he expected me to answer- it was hard to tell with him, sometimes, whether he wanted me to reply to his questions or not. But even if I had known he wanted me to say something, I would have remained silent. After all, it was impossible to provide an answer to a question that I had been asking myself for a very long time.

But after a slight pause, he continued, not waiting more than a split second for me to say something. "I could have just killed you back then, on the blimp. No, actually, I could have done it sooner- that day in the tomb six years ago, when I rid the world of that idiot you called a father. I considered it, for sure- you were always so loud, so annoying…" he trailed off for a moment, considering his words. "But do you have any idea why you're still here today, 100% alive?"

_How should I know? _I thought bitterly. _How should I know, when you've never told me anything? _But knowing that saying something like that would only get me into some sort of trouble, I shook my head no and left it at that. He grinned in response.

"The answer is actually rather simple, sister." The smile not leaving his face, he pulled out the Millennium rod from behind his back. In one quick motion, he removed the hidden dagger from its sheath and held it inches away from my face. I swallowed, instinctively backing away from the blade. Although it shone with an eerie glint in the darkness, I could see that a part of it was still coated in the blood of one of Mariku's victims. "What's keeping me from bringing my hand a few inches forward and stabbing you through the eye? I can tell you now that it's not out of any sort of pity. It's not that I would feel any remorse as I watched you scream for those few seconds before you finally died." His grin widened. "But that's just it- it would only last a few seconds before everything ended. Your death wouldn't even change anything. Because really, the truth of the matter is, I could care less about you." He laughed. "Don't you get it, sister? I don't have any connection with you, positive or negative. Rishid was always the one who kept me at bay- you were never close enough to have that ability. Even when I see you here, alive as ever, I still maintain control of this body."

I was silent. I didn't have it in me to deny anything he had just said, because I knew it all to be true. I had never been the one who was able to save Malik. I had tried; I had done everything I could to rescue him from the darkness. But I wasn't the one who had been with him the whole time during Battle City. Rishid was.

I wasn't the one who had carved into my own flesh, just so that Malik wouldn't be alone in his pain. Rishid was.

I was never the one who had the ability to keep Mariku at bay.

That had always, always been Rishid.

And as much as I hated to admit it, that was something I would always, _always _envy him for.

Mariku laughed again when he saw my face, most likely because he knew he had finally managed to strike a nerve. He lowered the rod from in front of my face.

"You're not important to me. You weren't important to my other half. So I'm keeping you alive. There's no reason for you to die by my hand." He turned around, presumably about to leave again.

"But if you give me a reason," he said, lifting the rod again for emphasis, "I won't hesitate to kill you. You should remember that." And with those chilling words left hanging in the air behind him, he left me yet again.

I was completely still, sitting on the bed and contemplating everything he had said.

If I became a threat to him, he would kill me.

He would kill me, just as he had Rishid.

I would have done something to put his power in jeopardy.

I would get out of here.

All at once, the severity of my thoughts hit me, and I shook my head violently to try and get rid of them. When I had first arrived here, I had been certain I was going to die right away. And at the time, although I hadn't shown it, I had been absolutely terrified by the mere idea of it. So I couldn't help but wonder- what had happened to me between now and then that gave me the ability to consider my own death so lightly? Since when had I ever been weak enough to even consider the thought of ending my life as a means of escape?

I couldn't do it. No, I _refused _to do it. I had promised myself that I would live, after all. No matter how difficult things got for me, or how much I was forced to endure, I was not going to crack from the pressure. I would fight my circumstances for however long I could hold out. I would do everything I possibly could to postpone my inevitable dying breath.

Wouldn't I?

Xxx

Ahh, you have no idea how sorry I am for the break I took on this! I really love this story; I do. I don't know why I abandoned it for so long. I can't wait to get all this introduction stuff out of the way, so I can jump into the plot elements I've been planning. Yup, I don't have a definitive way of getting there quite yet, but I have some pretty great stuff that I'd like to do with this fic. Already, I've tried to make it clear how- despite what she wants- Ishizu's mind is starting to be affected by the pressure from her situation. Her mindset has always been negative, but at the end, you can see her trying really hard to grab for any positives she can- she wants to remain strong, after all. But she's growing more and more desperate to hang on to that strength, and that's one of the things that I plan to explore quite a bit in later chapters.

So basically, I'm sorry for the 5 month delay, and I hope to get back to regular updates with this (as well as my other fics) soon!


	4. Chapter 4

The moment I awoke that morning, I felt a chill run through my entire body. It wasn't particularly cold in the room- or, at least, anything I wasn't used to. But still, something felt… _off. _I wasn't sure where exactly it was coming from, or when I would have felt it in the past, but it felt nostalgic somehow. It was almost as though a sort of dread had swept over me, attempting to warn me of something occurring in my future. Of course, my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenarios that could apply to my situation- there were a variety of choices, after all, and each one seemed to be more of a possibility than the last. But in the end, I ended up exactly as I had begun: completely without a clue as to what the feeling could be warning me about.

For a moment, perhaps out of habit, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the future, praying that some sort of vision would come through. I remembered faintly a time when I had been able to see the immediate future, relying on the help of the millennium necklace. And for a brief moment, I sincerely believed that I could still use it now. But it was a ridiculous idea, considering how long it had been since I had even _seen _the item. Besides, even when I had given it over to Yugi it had been losing its power, and I had no doubt that even if Mariku had taken it- which, given his new position, he had to have done without hesitation- there was little use left for it. I was blind for the first time in years, and even though I should have grown used to it, I couldn't help but feel almost handicapped without it. Not knowing things was completely new to me, and it made me the slightest bit nervous.

The feeling of unease never fully disappeared, at least in what I assumed to be the couple of hours before Mariku appeared in the doorway. He had been appearing much more frequently since his long absence, sometimes entering my room multiple times a day. He never tried to repeat the conversation we had had that day around a week ago. He never said much at all, actually. When he did speak, he was just as arrogant and condescending as he had been in the past. But he almost seemed tired, leading me to wonder what exactly he was doing when I wasn't with him.

Today when he came in, he looked even more stressed than usual. His hair was sticking out in even more different directions than it normally did, and his eyes seemed a bit duller than last time. He didn't say anything as he approached me, only giving me a harsh glare as he grabbed me by the wrist. I looked up at him, expecting some sort of explanation, but he turned and looked forward, avoiding my gaze completely.

"What are you-"

"Shut up. You're the one who complains about being locked up, so you had better show some fucking appreciation." I paused. He was… letting me out? I was going to see the world outside of this small, cramped room? For a brief moment I was blinded by the possibilities of escape that could present themselves- I would be outside. I would be _free._ I would never have to deal with Mariku again, I wouldn't be in the dark, I would-

_This was Mariku, though._ I came crashing back down to reality almost as quickly as I had left it. Mariku was insane; there was no denying that. He had no issues with murder, felt comfortable with taking hostages, and _never _played by the rules. But while he was impulsive and extreme in his actions, he wasn't stupid. Malik hadn't been stupid, and no matter how Mariku ended up taking my brother's body, a small part of that would have to have come off on him. He had no intentions of letting me run free- that wouldn't serve his purposes at all. There was something he hoped to gain from letting me outside, and I could only shudder at the thought of what it could possibly be.

Mariku yanked on my hand, pulling me forward and onto my feet. I stumbled a bit, but followed behind him. He didn't let go of my wrist, and used his free hand to grab the door knob. But just before he pulled it open, he paused, finally turning back to look at me.

"Don't you _dare _try to run," he said, his voice low. "If you so much as _think_ about escaping, I won't hesitate to kill you. Understand?" I nodded, just wanting to get outside. I couldn't run. I had known that much from the very beginning- that was how it had always been. But somehow, hearing those words directly from him sent a sharp pang of disappointment through my chest.

Mariku, apparently satisfied by my response, finally turned the knob, opening up the door to the world of light that had evaded me for so long.

Immediately, my eyes started to hurt, and I had no choice but to force them shut- although the lights outside were dimmed, it had been far too long since I had been exposed to this much light, and my eyes simply weren't ready for it. It took close to a minute of slowly blinking my eyes open to be able to get even a short glimpse of my new surroundings. Mariku never stopped pulling me along, moving quickly and purposefully- did he really have some sort of purpose for dragging me out here, like I had feared?

But as my eyes adjusted and I finally got a look at the rest of the place I was being confined in, all thoughts of what could be happening to me faded away in an instant. The place was absolutely _stunning. _The hallway was built up out of an expensive-looking type of stone, and designs of what I recognized to be pure gold adorned the walls. It looked like a castle- and knowing Mariku's current position over the world, I assumed that it most likely was.

We walked for what felt like around five minutes, neither one of us saying a word to the other. Instead, I entertained myself by admiring my surroundings. I couldn't help but feel slightly in awe of the _elegance _of the world around me, that I was only just now getting to see.

Finally, we stopped in front of a simple door. Compared to everything else around it, its plainness stood out, as it was nothing more than common wood- nothing that couldn't have been found anywhere else. Mariku looked back at me, his face completely devoid of emotion. Then he opened the door, immediately leading me inside. The door slammed behind us almost ominously- there was no going back anymore..

It was dark, just as my room had been. After finally adjusting to the light, it took my eyes an extra moment to make out even the simplest of shapes.

Mariku sighed impatiently. "Ryou, I thought I told you to light the candles before I got here." My ears perked up. _Ryou…_ the name felt vaguely familiar, although I couldn't entirely remember where I had heard it before.

There were a few small, hesitant footsteps, followed by a voice that I thought I knew from somewhere. Was this Ryou…?

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll take care of it right away." I heard the striking of a match, and a small light appeared towards the back of the room. This repeated a few more times, until the majority of the room was visible.

At first, I wasn't paying complete attention to what was around me. I couldn't have been, for it to have taken so long for me to notice the reason that things had felt so wrong all day. I heard Mariku's voice a split second before I finally did see what was going on around me.

"Ryou, leave us alone for a bit. I want it to just be the three of us." And as Ryou ran off after a quick "yes sir," I saw who he meant. Of course the first two of the "three of us" was Mariku and I. That much was obvious. But when I finally processed my surroundings, and I realized who the third person was, it was all I could do not to scream.

Mariku grinned as he noticed my reaction. "I see you noticed, sister. About time- I was getting tired of waiting for you." My entire body shook, and my mouth moved wordlessly. It couldn't be. I had to be seeing things. There was no way that _he _would still be here. It wasn't possible in the slightest.

"No…" it was all I could bring myself to say. "I… he can't be… he was…"

Mariku laughed harshly. "Sister, you always were the type to make assumptions. Try to remember- did I _ever _say whether or not I had let him die?"

…It had to be a dream.

"I've been waiting for this day to come for a long time, you know."

…There was no way this could be my reality.

"Are you going to say anything, sister? Aren't you going to greet him?"

…I couldn't.

"Just say his name."

Silence.

"_Say it." _

I swallowed. My mouth was dry, and couldn't for the longest time form the word I wanted. But somewhere in me, underneath all the fear and confusion that had just clouded over me, there was a small bit of strength that allowed me to get it out.

"…Rishid."

Xxx

Yeah, that's right. I finally updated this thing after ANOTHER longish break, and it ended up being really short. But if you read this far, then you can see why I would find it fun to leave it off where I did. That's right. I _finally _mastered the art of the cliffhanger. (Well, maybe not. But this is still a step for me.) But the good news about this is that I'm finally on summer break. Which benefits all of you for one reason- I'm going to have more time to write things. At least, I think that's a benefit… I don't really know. But either way, that's how it is. So I'll try to come back to this relatively soon. So until next time, guys. Feel free to actually, you know, review this. It takes as little as five seconds, and makes my day that much brighter.


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